


Where the Skies are Blue

by ottobarnes



Series: Winterhawk Week 2016 [7]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: 1940s, Alternate Universe - Historical, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Winterhawk Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 21:30:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7008895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ottobarnes/pseuds/ottobarnes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year was 1948. The house by the sea belonged to Steve. He’d given Bucky a key and told him to use it whenever he needed to get away. The nearest neighbor was miles away. The Pacific stretched out endlessly ahead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where the Skies are Blue

Driving with the top down on the ‘46 Pontiac, the wind in his face and the empty road stretched out ahead, James Buchanan Barnes glanced over at the man sitting next to him and smiled. Music drifted through the radio.

 _Somewhere beyond the sea_  
_somewhere waiting for me_  
_my lover stands on golden sands_  
_and watches the ships that go sailing'_

“Buck, can I take the blindfold off now?” This was the third or fourth time Clint had asked since they left the city.

“Not until we get there,” Bucky laughed. “Slide over here next to me, sweetheart?”

“Can’t say no to you, Baby Jay.” Clint scooted across the seat to let Bucky put an arm around his shoulders. “So where we going?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise! That blindfold isn't to keep me from looking at your cute face.”

“Aw, and I thought it was to keep me from distracting you with my pretty green eyes.”

“That too,” Bucky said with a grin, pressing his lips to Clint's head.

“Shouldn't you be watching the road?”

“You know what? The road can wait,” Bucky said, a hint of mischief sneaking into his voice. He slowed the car and pulled off the road.

“Are we stopping? Can I take the blindfold off now?”

Bucky hummed. “No, I don't think so.” He turned, placing a hand on Clint’s cheek and pulled him in for a kiss, long and slow.

Clint moaned into the kiss, and when he pulled back he licked his lips. “This is nice...I have a feeling it would be nicer if I could see that expression on your face. Your eyes get dark and--mmph!”

Bucky leaned in to kiss him again, biting at Clint’s lips and placing a firm hand on his back. He smiled against Clint’s face, taking a moment to just revel in the sense of freedom that came with kissing someone under the open sky.

“Well, I suppose this is all right,” Clint said, his voice low and soft.

Bucky lost track of the time, not thinking, only feeling, until Clint’s hands started drifting towards his thighs.

“Hold up, tiger. Not in Steve’s car.” Bucky sighed and laid a hand on Clint’s chest.

“Aw, c’mon, Baby Jay. Steve’s got money, he can buy another one.” Clint tried to lean in for another kiss, but Bucky moved back to the wheel.

“Only a couple more hours and we’ll be there, and then we can do whatever we like. Scout’s honor.” He kissed Clint’s cheek one more time before starting the engine, putting the car in gear, and pulling back out onto the road.

“A couple hours?” Clint asked, incredulous. “Jeez, Buck, where are you taking me?”

“Still a secret, sweetheart.”

Clint heaved a dramatic sigh. “Fine, then I'm going to sleep.” And with that, he laid down across the seat, resting his head on Bucky’s lap.

The next two hours passed peacefully, with Clint sleeping. Bucky enjoyed the quiet and solitude, the feeling of the wind on his face and the deep comfort of having Clint by his side.

“Sweetheart, wake up.” Bucky ran his fingers through Clint’s hair. “We’re here.”

Clint started to stretch, then reached his arms around Bucky’s waist. “G’morning.” He rubbed his nose against Bucky’s stomach, tugged his shirt up, and kissed his belly. “You smell real good, Buck.”

Bucky laughed a little and leaned down to kiss the top of Clint’s head. “Not in the car, babe. Go ahead and take a look around. We’re here.”

Smiling, Clint sat up, but didn't take off the blindfold. Instead, he reached out for Bucky’s face and kissed him gently. Bucky leaned into the kiss, then reached around to untie the blindfold.

“Welcome to the beach, sweetheart,” he said, watching Clint’s face as he blinked in the sudden sunlight and took in their surroundings. “What do you think?”

Clint hesitated for a moment, a look in his eye like he was fighting off a bad memory. But then he shook himself and smiled at Bucky, a smile so sweet and earnest it made Bucky’s heart ache. “It’s perfect. I’d forgotten the beach could be so peaceful.”

“We’ve got the whole place to ourselves,” Bucky said, leaning in to kiss Clint’s cheek. “Nothing to worry about and not a soul for miles around. Help me unload everything?” Bucky climbed out of the car and started lifting suitcases out of the back seat, Clint following his lead.

“Jeez, Buck, how long we here for?” Clint said, eyes wide. “Think you packed enough?”

“Couldn’t let my best guy down.”

“Ooh pickles. And jam!”

“You couldn't wait till we get everything in the house to raid the picnic basket?”

“I am _hungry_. Felt like we were in that car forever.”

“You were asleep for most of it!” Bucky rolled his eyes. “C’mon, let’s get everything inside,” he said, making his way up the front stairs, a bag in each hand. Clint followed, rummaging through the picnic basket as he went.

The house wasn't big, but it was clean and fresh and bright, and just what they needed.

“Get changed, we’re going to the beach.” Bucky took the remaining end of a loaf of bread out of Clint’s hand.

“Aw, I was eating that!”

Bucky laughed. “How about I give you somethin’ sweet instead?” He moved in close to Clint, looking up through his eyelashes, and tugged at Clint’s shirt with one hand until he could caress the bare skin beneath it. Clint shivered at the touch, brought a hand up to cradle Bucky’s cheek, and leaned down to press his lips to Bucky’s.

Bucky opened his mouth at the contact. His hands roved across Clint’s body as Clint began to lick and press into Bucky’s mouth. They moaned and pulled back for air.

“C’mon,” Bucky said. “I wanna get to the beach while the sun’s still up.” He turned to pop open the suitcase and pull out two pairs of swim trunks. “Get changed.”

“Fine.” Clint pulled the purple trunks out of Bucky’s hand. “But no peeking.”

“I saw you naked two nights ago!”

“I just don't want you getting distracted.” Clint turned away and unbuttoned his shirt to pull it off.

“Distracted?” Bucky said. He slid Clint’s shirt down off his shoulders, tracing his hands slowly down the taller man’s back. “Really? How could I possibly be distracted when there’s a perfectly good beach out there? I’m more concerned about you getting distracted.”

“Me? Never.” Clint turned in Bucky’s grip and began to unbutton Bucky’s shirt. “I mean, what even.” He placed a kiss on Bucky’s collarbone. “Is there.” Another kiss, this time on his sternum. “To be distracted by?” He latched onto Bucky’s nipple and began to suck.

Bucky shuddered. His hands latched onto Clint’s hips, and he stumbled back a few steps until his back hit the wall. Clint leaned in to kiss him, one hand laced into Bucky’s hair and the other working to get his shirt off the rest of the way. They fumbled their way through more articles of clothing and clumsy, urgent kisses, until Bucky remembered the reason they’d started undressing. He placed a hand on Clint’s chest, holding him at arm’s length and breathing heavily.

“The beach. I mean it,” Bucky gasped.

“The beach will last for another hour, won’t it?” Clint asked. He tried to steal another kiss.

“Nope. Beach. Now.” Bucky grabbed his swim trunks and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll change in here,” he said, shutting the door after him.

“Ugh.” Clint groaned. He called after Bucky, “You’re terrible, you know that? Getting me riled up like this. It’s not fair. I’m breaking up with you.”

“No, you’re not. You love me too much,” Bucky called through the door. He pulled on his trunks and opened the door again.

Clint finished yanking on his swim trunks aggressively. Bucky snaked an arm around his waist and kissed his cheek. Clint melted back into the touch and smiled. “Yeah, all right, I do love you, you big sap.” He looked down at the swim trunks again. “But you owe me for this.”

“I wouldn't worry about that, if I were you,” Bucky said, his face serious. “I've got plans.”

“Plans that involve us staying inside and completely destroying Steve’s guest bed?” Clint asked hopefully.

“Plans that start with us going out to the beach.” Bucky scooped up an old spare blanket. “Now let’s go.”

Bucky led them out to the deserted beach and staked out a spot to spread out the blanket on the sand. “Here, grab a corner and help me with this.”

“Aw, but it's more fun watching you,” Clint says. “All those muscles are taunting me.” He took a corner anyway, tugging at it till the blanket was as flat as it could be on the uneven sand.

Once it was laid out nicely, Clint immediately belly flopped onto the blanket, causing the edges to ruck up. “I’m good here, I think,” he said.

“For Christ’s sake,” Bucky muttered. “I’m going out to the water. You should join me.”

Clint just grunted into the blanket. Bucky, spotting an opportunity, headed down to the ocean and scooped up some water in his cupped hands. He ran it back to Clint and threw it onto his head.

“Aww, Buck!” Clint sat up and glared. “Okay, all right. You’re on.” While he struggled back to his feet, Bucky ran back to the surf and prepared for the upcoming splash battle.

They played around in the water for a while, then hiked back up to sit next to each other on the freshly straightened blanket. Bucky laid out on his back while Clint sprawled out next to him with his head on Bucky’s stomach.

“Damn. I think I got sand in my trunks,” Bucky said, shifting uncomfortably. “I gotta sit up, sweetheart.”

“Aw, really babe? Lemme help you with that.” Clint pushed himself up on his arms, a mischievous grin on his face. He tugged at the back of Bucky’s trunks, and -- instead of doing anything even remotely helpful -- dumped in a handful of sand.

“You ass!” Bucky shrieked in outrage over the sound of Clint’s peals of laughter. “You complete ass. C’mere.” He tackled Clint, arms around his waist, and returned the favor with his own handful of sand.

“Aw, sand, no!” Clint flailed his arms for a minute, then fell still. “I guess we’d better, uh, go wash all the sand off, huh?”

Bucky sat back, wincing and letting go of Clint. “You’re damn right. This is awful.”

They made their way down to the surf, hissing and grimacing as they went. Clint reached the water first and waded out until it reached his knees. Bucky stripped off his trunks as soon as he hit the water, tossing them back up onto the sand. He moved towards where Clint was scooping up handfuls of seawater to rinse the sand from his body. He looked a little bit ridiculous, but Bucky couldn't help noticing the way he gleamed in the sunlight.

“Here, lemme help you with that,” Bucky called out, waiting until Clint looked up to splash water at him.

Clint spluttered and fell back in surprise. When he got his head back up out of the water, he shouted, “What are you, five?”

Bucky cackled and moved towards him, offering an arm to help him up. Clint took it, but instead of rising to meet him, tugged Bucky down into the water next to him.

“I should have expected that,” Bucky said, shaking the water off his face.

Clint laughed. “Yeah, you should have.” He shifted closer to Bucky, his eyes dark and his lips twisted up to one side. “How about that sand? Want me to check if it's all washed away?” He reached out to touch Bucky’s thigh under the water.

Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. “You tryin’ to start something? In the ocean?”

“Isn't it obvious? I thought that was pretty obvious.”

“Oh god, not out here. The ocean is disgusting!”

“Then why are we out here?”

“Because you dumped sand in my trunks!”

“Well, you dumped sand in mine. Wait.” Clint looked around wildly. “Where are my trunks?”

“What did you do with them?”

“I took ‘em off!”

“Well, that much is clear.”

“What did you do with yours?”

“Left ‘em on the beach.”

Clint pushed himself up out of the water and ran as fast as he could for the beach.

“What are you doing?” Bucky called after him, following a moment later when the surprise wore off. “Leave my trunks alone!”

Clint got there first and scooped up the blue trunks. He ran back out a ways and flung them out into the ocean.

“Aw, come on!” Bucky tried to chase after his trunks as they floated for a moment, but Clint blocked his path and hoisted Bucky up over his shoulder. “Only fair. I lost mine, you lost yours,” he said, making his way back to the beach.

“I didn't lose mine, you sacrificed them to the ocean!” Bucky wriggled in an attempt break free, but Clint held him fast.

“Oh well,” Clint said with a light slap to Bucky’s bare ass, “this is more fun.”

“All right, that’s it,” Bucky said, shifting his weight and twisting out of Clint’s arms, taking them both off balance and toppling into the surf. Clint immediately latched onto Bucky’s waist, keeping them both at the edge of the water while Bucky scanned the ocean for his trunks. “Aw, come on!”

“Ha, now we both have to be naked,” Clint said. He stood and kissed Bucky’s neck. “Oh, ew, no, you are covered in salt, that was disgusting.”

“Yeah, all right, let’s go back inside and get washed up.”

They climbed back up the hill towards the house, both still entirely naked, with only the blanket in tow.

“Have you ever seen the sky so blue?” Clint took Bucky’s hand as he looked out over the ocean.

“Only once, when me and Steve drove all the way out here from Brooklyn. Steve didn't like the desert so much. Thought there was too much brown, but I swear that was the bluest sky I’d ever seen. Growing up in the city, you never see it.”

“It’s like a legend,” Clint laughed. “Especially in Los Angeles. The closest you get is on a soundstage, huh?”

“It’s always blue here.”

“Really? What about when it rains?”

“Ha. You’re a punk, Barton,” Bucky said, pinching Clint’s ribs playfully as they headed into the house.

They showered off together, only taking a little bit longer than normal, since they still needed to put together dinner. After eating, they collapsed into bed together, worn out from the day.

Bucky slept peacefully that night, as he hadn't done since before the war, curled against Clint’s back, perfectly content.

* * *

They spent the next day lazing around the house by the sea, walking along the beach, and doing exactly as they pleased. This was the kind of freedom they had dreamed of, but never expected. They were lucky to have a friend in Steve, who loved Bucky like as a brother and trusted him to the end of the line.

Bucky gazed at Clint lovingly, running a hand through his golden hair. He didn't know how he’d gotten so lucky to have found this man, this beautiful, kind, inexplicable man who loved Bucky in return.

“Clint, sweetheart, don't fall asleep on the floor,” Bucky murmured. Clint hummed contentedly, pressing himself even closer into Bucky’s side. They hadn't made it as far as the bedroom after dinner and the throw pillows in the living room turned out to be perfectly comfortable.

“S’your fault,” Clint mumbled into Bucky’s neck.

“How is this my fault?”

“Mmm...kissed me.”

“Well if that’s all it takes, we might be in trouble.” Bucky rolled over and pinned Clint to the floor, his knees on either side of Clint’s hips, bracing his hands on his lover’s shoulders and leaning down to place warm, wet kisses along his neck.

Clint moaned, squirming under Bucky’s hips. “Mmm...Buck, the record stopped.”

“Forget about the record,” Bucky said between kisses, his voice a low rumble.

“But...music...” Clint whined, a pout forming on his lips.

“Ugh, fine.” Bucky pushed himself up, giving Clint a lazy smack on the chest. He made his way across the room and pulled out a record at random from Steve’s collection. “How’s Billie Holiday sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” Clint said, rolling back onto his side.

“Oh no you don't.” Bucky reached down to grab Clint’s arm and pull him up. “You wanted music, you’re getting everything that comes with it.” Clint grumbled as Bucky pulled him up to standing.

“Y’know, people think you’re a gentleman.” Clint leaned heavily against Bucky’s chest, burying his face in Bucky’s neck. They swayed gently in time to the music, not quite dancing but unwilling to stand still.

“You aimin’ to prove ‘em wrong?” Bucky moved a hand to the small of Clint’s back, holding him close, and took Clint’s hand in his. He pressed his cheek into Clint’s hair, breathing in the smell of him. He smelled of grass and aftershave and musk and the wind coming off the sea.

Clint wrapped his arm tight around Bucky’s waist. “Not a chance.”

They danced to the end of the record, and Clint pressed his face to Bucky’s collarbone.

“How about another song?” Bucky suggested. “Just one more.”

They put on another record, and another. Halfway through the second they curled up together on the couch. Bucky pressed a few small kisses to Clint’s face and neck, but mostly they just sat together, unwilling to sleep and let these last few hours alone together slip away.

As the first birds began to chirp outside, before the sun even began to rise, Clint murmured, “This was good. I’m glad you brought me out here.” He tucked his face in close to Bucky’s chest. “Baby Jay...I, uh…I just want you to know...”

“Yeah, I know, sweetheart.” Bucky buried his nose in Clint’s hair and closed his eyes with a smile. “Me, too.”

They may never get the chance to be here in this place again, to simply _be_ , without fear or shame, but for now it was enough. The sky was clear and blue, Clint was here by his side, and Bucky couldn't complain.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to [onecent](http://archiveofourown.org/users/onecent) for dragging me through this - none of these would have gotten finished without her support. Thanks also to [hardly_questionable](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hardly_questionable/pseuds/hardly_questionable) for historic knowledge and moral support. 
> 
> This is the prologue to a longer piece I'm working on, so check back soon if you enjoyed this one!
> 
> [@ellery-unfolding](http://ellery-unfolding.tumblr.com) on tumblr


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